the winds are felt only in the Gorge, with significant differences in frequency (and strength) of the wind appearing even between Troutdale and the Portland International Airport only eight miles distant. Columbia River Floodplain Along the Columbia between Troutdale and the river's junction with the Willamette are the lowlands of the Columbia floodplain. Before the settlement of Portland extended its grasp, the flatland was more laced with entrenched river- water ponds and sluggish sloughs. The wetlands, once called home by millions of malaria-carrying mosquitos, are mostly gone. The Bybee and Smith Lake area probably most resembles the previous state of the floodplain. At the actual junction of the Willamette and Columbia lies Sauvie Island, a rich delta area that, without mountains and volcanos in the distance, could be mistaken for a midwestern farm area. The island is the largest island in western Oregon and contains the largest natural lake. Sturgeon. In the middle of Sturgeon Lake, this largest lake on the largest island, is an island—Oak Island—where large oak trees stand guarding a place where Indians came to seek spiritual awakening. From the northwest corner of the Portland International Airport, northwest toward Sauvie Island, is the most dramatic rainfall shadow area in Portland. The average rainfall here is 38 inches, compared with 46 inches in downtown Portland. Vancouver, Washington The city of Vancouver, site of the earliest settlement in the region, is in a small bowl bordered on three sides by mountains. East of Vancouver several plains, like steps, ascend toward the Cascade Mountains. There are more fogs here than in the rest of the Greater Portland area and frosts have been recorded all year round. The New City Stretching between the actual city boundary of Portland and Gresham is Oregon's third largest (but unincorporated) city. The area is predominantly flat but gently rises from downtown Portland toward the Cascades. As moisture-laden air ascends once again it drops increasing rain on the land, resulting in slightly higher rainfall than in downtown Portland. North Portland Peninsula The Willamette River bends away from its northward flow through Portland near Sullivan's Gulch (Highway 1-84), flowing from there southeast to northwest until its junction with the Columbia. At the point where the river bends to the west, 1-5 straightens out and begins its flow due north toward the Columbia. The neighborhoods to the west of 1-5— Overlook, Arbor Lodge, Kenton, University Park, Portsmouth and St. Johns—are pinched between this manmade barrier (1-5), the high ridge along the Willamette (Mock's Crest), and the Columbia River floodplain. St. Johns, the "capital" of the area, feels a world apart from Portland. In 1898 it lobbied successfully to separate from Portland, and it remained separate until 1915. Even today, St. Johns mumbles under its community breath about seceding. Some of the area lies within the rainshadow of the Tualatin Mountains and therefore gets slightly less rainfall * 26
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